Rabbit Hole in Her Heart
by eeowuzhere
Summary: Alice's life has never been easy. Which is why she didn't think twice about being crazy. Landing in the midst of a fantasy, she struggles to find a way back...yet does she truly wish to return to the life she left, or stay in the life she found?
1. Fall

**1 **

"Alice…Alice!"

The deep voice of a man pierced through the fog that clouded my mind. A groan parted my lips as a warm liquid trickled down my face, dripping onto my chest. I could not tell whether my eyes were open or closed, for I was met with darkness all the same. The stench of blood was thick in the air, accompanied by the sounds of tortured screams. My hands were bound behind my back, my feet tied together.

My breath hitched in my throat as panic surged within me.

"Alice! Where are you?!"

I struggled to answer his voice, but a cloth blocked words from escaping my mouth.

Light suddenly blinded me.

After blinking away the black dots before my eyes, I hastily looked around the room where I was being kept. Stone surrounded me on all sides, covered in grime, dripping with water. Orbs of light were held in three of the corners, illuminating the steel door locking me in. Casting enigmatic shadows across the room was an array of weapons attached to the stone. Everything, from simple knives to axes with blades as large as a barn owl's wingspan, glistened as though recently sharpened. I felt my eyes widen as they landed on a device large enough to cover my head, filled with spikes. My throat constricted as I noticed a ruby glow to the torture trap. Blood dripped from the spikes, falling to the stone floor with an audible trickle. I watched the blood make a small stream towards the grate in the center of the room, pooling in a large puddle around it. Scanning the rest of the floor around me, I grimaced as it was covered in grime and blood, both dried and fresh. Towards the only shadowed corner of my torture chamber, my eyes caught sight of a figure.

Fear jolted through my body, freezing my muscles as the figure spoke in a calm, malevolent manner, "Off with your head, deary."  
The sound of a blade whistled through the air. Then as the cool metal barely kissed the skin of my neck-  
-I woke up.

My breathing was ragged as I jolted upright in bed. Sweat coated my body, my chest heaving as I tried to slow the erratic pumping of my heart.

God, I hated that dream. Well, 'nightmare' seemed more appropriate.

It's been the same every other night for the past month. Clearly, I needed a pep talk with my subconscious.

I shivered slightly as I got out of bed and walked towards my window. Dawn was lighting my backyard as I closed the window against the cool October breeze.

Funny, I didn't remember opening my window last night.

Shaking my head, I ran a hand through my long hair. I probably did and didn't pay much attention to what I was doing. At least, that was what my mother always told me. I could hear her chastising voice in my head,

"Oh Alice, keep your head out of the clouds.  
Silly girl, you never were the observant one in the family."

A strong urge to get out of the house ran through me suddenly.  
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and saw that it was way too early to start getting ready for my friend's party tonight.  
But I needed to get away now.

I stuck my feet into my sneakers and shrugged on a hoodie that was lying across my desk. Walking quietly through the house, not wanting to wake up my mother, I quickly made my way to the back door. As soon as I was out the door, I ran towards the tree line.  
I breathed in the crisp air as I slowed to a walk, reaching the path that led into the woods. Trees of towering oak and pine stretched for miles behind my house, as it did for all the homes on my street. Leaves danced towards the ground, weaving through the morning's mist. I smiled fondly as I felt the sun pierce through the fog, warming my face. Memories of my grandmother taking me back here flooded my mind as I gazed up at the trees, covered in red and gold. She would always tell me stories, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never remember what they were.

Sticking my hands in my pockets, I shook my head as I tried to get a grasp on the vanishing thoughts of my grandmother. She died when I was five, and I could barely remember her face anymore. My mother wouldn't even let me go to her funeral, saying that it was no place for children.

A silent tear ran down my cheek, but before I could wipe it away, the wind blew against my face. Drying the tear, it played with my long blonde hair, coaxing a small smile to form on my lips.

After a few moments, the wind died, the woods becoming silent.  
The few sounds of the birds that were once chirping, grew quiet. No longer could the rustle of crisp leaves be heard.  
Nothing made a sound.  
Then the all-too familiar twisting of my stomach began.

Every time something bad was going to happen, like when my father got so hammered he would start to beat my mom, I felt like I was punched in the gut. This was no different.  
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my feet came to a stop on the path. I strained to hear something- anything- but no sound came. The twisting became more persistent, as if it was nudging me to turn around, go back home where it was safe. Safe. That word had lost all meaning in my vocabulary.

Nowhere was safe, not even home.  
Home, another word to lose its meaning.

My feet remained rooted to the forest floor as a snap echoed in the distance. I gasped softly, slowly backing towards my house. I had to get out of the forest. Yet just as I was about to run like a bat out of hell, the wind blew, caressing my tense, anxious skin with curiously warm mist-like tendrils. The tension in my stomach released as did the feeling of foreboding.  
I breathed again as I was overcome with the yearning to be in my warm bed again. As I turned to make my way back to the house, I couldn't help wondering what that was about. I could always blame a deer yet, somehow I knew that it was something more.

The sun was just setting behind the trees as a cool wind brushed against my barely covered legs.

I, Alice Kingsbury, was dressed as Alice. All thanks to Savannah who wouldn't take no for an answer when she bought this getup for me. I swear, I felt the air in places where air shouldn't be.

Thin, white knee socks covered in clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades barely reached my knees. The baby blue dress clung to my body, the ruffled skirt barely reaching the middle of my thigh. A small white apron wrapped around my waist, as a white and blue laced corset pushed up things that were far too pushed for comfort. The ruffled sleeves hung off my shoulders underneath a hoodie, my only protection.

I felt like one of those bimbos at school that showed way too much skin as I walked up the front step in black heels. That, I can tell you, is not me. At all.

I fixed the small black headband in my hair as I waited for her to answer the door. A pixie opened the door and I was welcomed with a warm smile.

"Hey Alice, nice costume. I knew you'd look great in it."  
I rolled my dark blue eyes as I hugged Savannah's thin body, the glitter in her auburn hair tickling my nose. I was at least a head taller even though we were both eighteen. This small elfish body of hers combined with her sparkly outfit made her out to be an ideal pixie.  
"Well come on in, the party's just getting started!" She exclaimed as she walked into the foyer, her fairy wings bouncing. I took off my hoodie reluctantly, placing it on a coat rack. To be honest, I felt naked without it.

Moving past my discomfort, I smirked as I took in the scene before me. Not even God himself could prevent Savannah from throwing a huge, over the top party when her parents left town.

People crowded every room, bodies moving to the music. Skimpy witches and 'macho' baseball players danced in every room. Halloween decorations were found everywhere, orange and black balloons hanging from the ceiling. Low and behold, the infamous red cup littered every surface.

I chuckled under my breath, imagining the mess my friend was going to have to clean up after all this was over.  
Walking into the kitchen, I searched for the familiar face of my boyfriend. James was one of the football players on our… well… horrible football team. It's sad, but there was just no other word for it. He seemed like a good guy, different from the rest of the idiotic players. And let me tell you, some of them had to repeat the second grade. Twice.

After searching the entire first floor, I walked up the large staircase to the second. Coming up with nothing when I poked my head into the rooms, I grew frustrated as I blew away the bangs hanging in my eyes. Men; they say they'll be somewhere, but you could never find them.  
I was walking by Savannah's bedroom when I heard a noise coming from inside. I knocked on door gently, but no one answered. I turned the knob, stepping inside.

"Hey Savannah, have you seen-"

I came up short as I noticed she wasn't alone. In the darkness, I could see that she was entangled with someone in the middle of her large bed. I chuckled, someone was always in her bed. I flicked on the light, smirking.

"Play time's over, Savannah. Don't you have a party to host?"

With the light illuminating the figures in bed, Savannah looked up to see me standing in the doorway. She let out a gasp as she lifted her lips from the guy whose hand was up her glittered tank. He pouted at first but turned his green eyes to me. My heart halted, aching instantly.

"I guess I was wrong, James. You're just like every other football player." My voice was strained as I tried not to show any of the emotions raging inside of me. My stomach twisted as James' face took on a look of pure shock and embarrassment.

"Alice, I-"

"Don't you say one word. We're done." I interrupted him with a terse voice, my eyes narrowing at the two of them. The sight made me sick…two people I trusted, caught at the same time, in the same lie.  
Savannah looked up at me, shame in her eyes. "Please, don't be like that-"

"Like what? How am I supposed to act when I find my boyfriend making out with my best friend? In her freaking bed!"

I didn't let her answer for I turned around, walking briskly towards the stairs. As I reached the door, I barely heard my name being called over the blaring music. I turned to see Savannah and James standing on the stairs, clothes all askew. They both wore faces of shame and guilt, as if what happened was something they couldn't help.

'Couldn't help' my ass.

I opened the door and ran out into the dark night. Not wanting drive-bys to see me, I cut around back to run home through the woods. Shivering, I didn't care that I left my hoodie at her place as I raced across the leaf ridden ground. Wanting nothing more than to cry in the solitude of my room, I felt my eyes start to tear.

The familiar emotions of anger and resentment coursed through my body, sending my stomach into a tumultuous frenzy. Why would my best friend hurt me this way? Why did she and James do this to me? I thought he cared… I should have known better than to trust any man after what my father did to my mother and I. Should have known better than to believe I could trust anyone, period. No one could be trusted, for everyone ends up hurting you…one way or another.

Memories flashed in my mind, the hurt and paint drudging them up from the dark recesses of my memory. My dad, stumbling home in the middle of the night, reeking of alcohol. My mom, yelling at him for leaving her, us. The sound of a smack echoing throughout the house. Being found listening at the top of the stairs,hiding in the dark, then rough hands pushing me, falling down, down...

I was too wrapped up in my thoughts and emotions to watch where I was going. My mind was whirling, my chest feeling as though my heart had been ripped right through it. Tears streamed down my cheeks, causing me not to notice the large hole in the ground until it was too late. A surprised gasp escaped my mouth as the ground escaped from beneath my feet. Like so long ago, I was falling. The darkness of hollowed earth consumed my being, my eyes finding no light that pierced it. I couldn't scream for the fall took away the breath from my lungs. Time seemed to move slowly, making it seem like I had been falling forever. I didn't know how much time had passed. Seconds, minutes, hours. I knew nothing except the black abyss that surrounded me.

Yet all I could think was how cliché this was.

Light suddenly flooded my vision, blinding me. I finally managed to catch my breath enough to let out a small scream before I plummeted onto something, or rather someone. I heard a loud grunt before the blackness consumed my mind.


	2. Crazy

My head was pounding as my eyes slowly opened, my back pressed against the ground. I tried to steady my breathing and all at once, memories of the past twenty-four hours came flooding into my mind. The dream, the woods, the party, finding Savannah and James together, then running away, falling down a hole in the ground. I blinked away the mist that was forming in my eyes as I stared up at the crystal blue sky.

Wait…sky?

I sat straight up, my head immediately spinning but I ignored it. Sky? But I fell down a hole… maybe I was unconscious. Maybe I was dead and this was heaven.

No, my body wouldn't feel as though it ran into- no, through- a brick wall if I was in heaven.  
I slowly looked around and what I saw left me…speechless.

Trees with leaves that looked as though they were made of emeralds surrounded me. Their massive size were incomparable to the trees I was accustomed to. Plants I had never seen were surrounded by crystalline-rocks in hues of blue and pink. The plants took on odd formations, some flowers with petals forming dragons. Some of the plant leaves were made in such a way that it looked like water was cascading down from the stem. They were in shades of the most vibrant colors I had ever seen as well as some of the dullest. Some had petals from bright oranges and yellows to vibrant blue and purple patterns. Others were of deep olive green to musky red. They littered the ground in small bushes, varying in size and shape.

Next to me I noticed a blossom that was no bigger than my thumb. The flower was tucked away into the shadows of the trees, but was growing in such a way, it looked as though it were reaching towards the golden red sun. Yet, it was so far buried into the shadows, it could not hope for a life in the golden light it so seemingly longed for.

The sound of a small bubbling creek registered in my mind, my eyes moving to the sound. It cut into the lush light green grass, filled with the swirling colors of blue, purple, and green, mixing together to form one color, yet remaining individual.  
This place, this forest, seemed-

Before I could manage to find a word to describe my surroundings, I noticed something stir out of the corner of my eye. I turned around as fast as I could without passing out, throwing up, or both. My eyes widened as they took in the figure.

The man lying on his stomach seemed to be about my age, possibly older. Straight black hair was tossed in that messy-neat sort of way across his forehead and slightly over his…wait. Instead of human ears, the man had the large, dark purple ears of a cat sticking out on the sides of his head. I sucked in a breath as I noticed a tail similar in color sticking out of his rear end.  
This had to be a dream.

Yet my gut told me this was no dream. The man stood then, muttering words under his breath as he straightened out his gray tunic and black pants. Leather boots came up to his knee and I noticed a dagger hanging on a belt at his waist.

"Aren't you going to at least apologize when you fall on someone?"

My eyes snapped to his face to have him leave me speechless again. His skin was a smooth ivory color, at least a shade lighter than my own. High cheekbones and a straight nose pronounced his angular features. He had full lips, the perfect rose color a girl would die for. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green, with slit pupils. Cat's eyes.  
"Well?" He raised a dark brow.

"S-sorry," I muttered hastily.

I tried to get up, but as I stood on my now shoeless feet, the world began to tilt. The man-cat-person reached out a clawed hand and grabbed me before I fell to the ground. As I tried to focus my eyes and stop the dizziness that was making my stomach churn, I noticed my clothes were in great disarray. My dress was torn and covered with dirt. My legs and arms were covered with small cuts. I looked like crap. And I was probably crazy. Fantastic.

"Sorry." I said in a stronger voice.

"Hmm…" The man's face looked thoughtful as he studied me and let go of my arm.

I gathered up some courage and asked the questions that have plagued my mind since I opened my eyes. "Where am I? Who are you?"

He seemed surprised that I spoke. He looked away and I noticed he was staring at a hole in the ground. A very familiar hole. Then he replied in a voice serious, devoid of emotion. "The name's Chess and you're in Wonderland."

I stared at Chess for a moment before I erupted into laughter. I was laughing so hard, tears sprung from the corners of my eyes. My hands were on my knees, my body shaking with uncontrollable laughter. After a few minutes, I straightened up and wiped the tears from my eyes."Wonderland? Please, you've gotta be kidding me."

Chess shook his head, glaring disapprovingly. "No, I'm not."

"But that's ridiculous! That's just a story. I didn't even follow a freaking rabbit down here!" I looked at him incredulously. Who was he trying to kid?

Chess lifted his hands, exasperated. "Yes, yes we Wonderlanders know of this 'Lewis Carroll' you refer to but he got it all wrong. He fell down a hole in Paris while he was totally wasted. Luckily, he convinced himself it was a dream once we got him back. He decided to write about Wonderland as he saw it- twisted and crazed by alcohol. From what I heard he was a sick man to begin with."

I shook my head, feeling dizzy. Looking at me wearily, Chess took a step back.

"You look like you're gonna hurl..."

Shaking my head again, I looked up to the sky once more. "I must be crazy..."

His dark chuckle filled my ears. "Aren't we all?"

Before I could reply, my nose crinkled as a putrid scent reached me. "What the hell is that? It smells like something's rotting!"

I covered my nose as Chess looked around the trees, frowning. Across from us, the bushes by the creek started to rustle. Raising a brow, I threw a glance at Chess. His body was tense as he slowly moved toward the bush. Before I could even blink, a snarl ripped through the air as a scaled beast jumped from its cover. It tackled Chess to the ground, its jaws snapped mere inches from his face.

He struggled against the beast for a moment before tossing it off of him. "Run, you stupid girl!"

Frozen in fear, my heart beat wildly but it was not his words that sent me backing into the tree. It was Chess himself. As soon as he looked back to the monstrous reptile, his face took on a manic expression. His eyes seemingly grew larger as a wide smile broke through his flesh, tearing his skin apart. Sharp, pointed fangs stretched across his crazed smile, blood and jagged flesh framing it. His claws lengthened, glinting menacingly in the sunlight as he lept at the creature. Hissing, the beast swung a clawed hand at Chess, to which he dodged. He laughed, his voice sending chills up my spine as he sliced his own claws down its slimy belly. Snarling again, the monster gave another swipe at Chess, catching his arm. Hissing in anger, he once again clawed at the beast, its entrails spilling onto the ground.

Licking his claws, Chess turned away from the beast as it fell with a thud that shook the ground. "Stupid snatcher."

His large eyes caught mine as I stood pressed against the tree, shaking. Slowly, his skin patched up around his mouth, healing the torn flesh until the eerie, fanged smile was replaced with his original pair of lips. Even his claws shrank back into his fingers slightly, his eyes losing their crazed gaze.

My mind whirling, trying to process everything that I just saw, but it was just too much.

His eyes remained cold and distant as his scaned my face, "Now you really look like you're gonna puke."

Oh, but I didn't. I fainted instead, for the second time. Fantastic.


End file.
